Museum curator teaches state history to Northville students in New Milford through inventions

By Nanci G. Hutson, staff writer

Published
11:24 pm EDT, Friday, October 30, 2009

Patrick Smith, Education Curator at the Museum of Connecticut History, talks about the invention of the hamburger with students from Kathy Shemeley's third grade class Wednesday at Northville Elementary School.

Patrick Smith, Education Curator at the Museum of Connecticut History, talks about the invention of the hamburger with students from Kathy Shemeley's third grade class Wednesday at Northville Elementary School.

Photo: Max Steinmetz

Photo: Max Steinmetz

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Patrick Smith, Education Curator at the Museum of Connecticut History, talks about the invention of the hamburger with students from Kathy Shemeley's third grade class Wednesday at Northville Elementary School.

Patrick Smith, Education Curator at the Museum of Connecticut History, talks about the invention of the hamburger with students from Kathy Shemeley's third grade class Wednesday at Northville Elementary School.

Photo: Max Steinmetz

Museum curator teaches state history to Northville students in New Milford through inventions

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NEW MILFORD -- If you want to know where to buy an original hamburger or how French fries got their shape, ask a Northville Elementary School third-grader.

Smith even gave the students a chance to invent a product to keep a long-eared dog from getting messy when he eats.

Some of Connecticut`s 170,000 inventions that Smith highlighted were Silly Putty, the Frisbee, the submarine, the Wiffle Ball, and a collapsible tin drinking cup.

Connecticut is even home to the original hamburger, sans ketchup.

Student Amanda Walitynski giggled as she recalled how she once tried to invent something out of mud that "turned out weird.``

Smith said that is not uncommon.

Take Silly Putty, he said. That invention was really a mistake.

In the World War II era, the U.S. had a shortage of rubber for military use, Smith said. A scientist in New Haven tried to produce man-made rubber. Instead, he made "Nutty Putty,`` a bouncy, stretchy pink substance that was not as strong as a rubber but fun for play.

A New Haven toy store owner opted to sell the stuff and found it was popular with children. The name was then changed to Silly Putty, Smith said.

Eventually it was marketed as an Easter toy in a plastic eggshell. In 1977, Crayola bought the rights to Silly Putty. To date, some 300 million Silly Putty eggs have been sold, according to Crayola`s Web site.

Smith said the popular hamburger sandwich was invented in 1895 at a New Haven diner called Louie`s Lunch.

To this day, ketchup is not allowed. The luncheonette`s motto is "You get your hamburger our way, not your way,`` Smith said.